Chrono Shift
by Tool23X
Summary: An original character based story revolving around the events of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. Click. You know you want to...
1. Chrono Shift - Prologue

Ten years before the Kingdom of Zeal fell victim to Lavos, a bizarre event occurs in the Earthbound Caves of Algetty.  Though seemingly meaningless at first, it began a series of events that eventually leads to a race against evil to obtain a holy relic.  The long and epic journey will uncover the truth behind the dark secrets of the natural world, and information of a sinister plot to eradicate humanity from the pages of history.  It seems increasingly likely that the world is fated for conflict and plagued by a desire for destruction.  That is, unless an unlikely hero can cause the course of our planet's future to shift.  

Alright, I removed this fanfic from the Chrono Cross sections because 1.) It didn't have much of a response there, and 2.) It wasn't much of a fit, because the earlier parts focus much more on Chrono Trigger.  I've also downgraded the rating from R to PG-13 (For sex, drugs, violence, foul language, adult themes, etc.).  I haven't changed any of the content, but I figured since the dirty stuff doesn't come until later, I'll just change the rating later.  I'll be updating here depending on if anyone here gives a damn (The full version thus far can be found elsewhere).  This means feedback, people.  I prefer emails to FF.net reviews, but whatever trips your trigger.  I can be contacted at Tool23X@hotmail.com (and I will accept hate mail).

(Insert necessary legal crap about copyrights here)

Now, I present…

Chrono Shift

Prologue 

Life is such a precious gift, and is acknowledged as one, but in the endless disorder that constitutes our existence, no mortal creature has an accurate perception on just how valuable this endowment is. Forever awaits a worthy host with the capability to nurture the child, yet even then, if the conditions are suitable, life occurs only by chance, meeting requirements in the smallest window of time. Chemical reactions fire unsystematically to provide a miniscule opportunity for atoms to form series of organic compounds, from which the first protozoa will somehow miraculously begin carrying out the life processes in a deep sea. 

The mother sea cultivates, clinging dearly to the dream of life situated in its womb. If by chance, the unicellular organisms survive, incalculable epochs will elapse before the creatures develop the ability of thought. Resulting from the products of contemplation, all life must contend for survival each day, even though a fatal demise ultimately arrives to each entity. Death is the greatest adversary of life, and in the end, death has never lost a battle. The organisms eventually become civilized, which should be defined as hypocritical, since civilizations necessitate seizing the planet and resources, lacking reason or need to return it. From here, two paths are taken. Either the species discovers the blunder in its system and fixes the planet, or remains egotistical and smashes the mother into oblivion for its individual benefit. The narcissistic creatures must inevitably traverse the unfathomable, sinister, bitter niches of the cosmos to prolong their existence, where they approach other life forms and eradicate them gratuitously. Is there a motive for the mechanical massacre of all things? 

Is there a reason behind all that exists? Is the yearning for living truthfully so magnificent? Life did not always subsist in this manner, it was once the grand dream of a quiescent divinity, but the greedy wish for something further is always the downfall of any foundation. One day, life may no longer succumb to death, but instead flourish in its presence. It is the hope of the mother to save her offspring despite the maiming done to her by them, paying no consideration to the probabilities. The victory of the dream, like the triumph of anything, all depends on a problem of possibilities, which may or may not go in favor of the idealist. 

_I Love You So Much...  
That Is Why I Sometimes Desire To Smash You To Bits..._  


	2. Chapter 1 - Reach For A Dream

Chrono Shift Chapter 1

Reach For A Dream

Darkness was everywhere. It had become a shroud surrounding him, and covering all that existed. The place was unfamiliar, and yet it seemed like a place that he knew about in the back of his mind. His subconscious was either playing tricks on him or trying to tell him something. He had not the slightest idea how he had gotten here, and all that he knew was that danger lurked in the gloomy shadows. He did not even remember how he had realized that he was in trouble, but it was there nonetheless. 

A pain grew in the pit of his stomach, which had been intensifying ever since he arrived at this eerie place, and now there was something else here with him. It was not clear at first, barely audible, but soon it became recognizable as the very slightest of whispers. It was impossible to make out, and the words seemed to be a chant in some ancient language. 

"Kietu Sarai Omias Zuv Dora Flios Veeroi Hazyr…" 

He had never heard the words before, but somehow, they were starting to make sense. They were talking to _him!_ They were saying beware. They were telling him to leave, that danger and misfortune would visit him soon if he chose not to. 

As suddenly as they had come, the voices vanished, and the silence left behind was so insatiably frightening, it rang in his ears with the brutality and odium of Hell. The silence made him sweat, and his heart pumped blood faster and faster, as the silence started screeching and shrieking in his eardrums, and still the quietness grew more forceful. His mind could no longer think; it could only wish that the insanity would end soon, saving him from his own fears. 

Just then a violent light burst through the emptiness, speeding uncontrollably towards him. It struck with a force unconceivable, pulsating through every inch of his skin and penetrating deep into his soul. The blow was so powerful it was ludicrous, a shot out of a fairy tale. Shockwaves of pain filtered themselves throughout his body, and the voices returned. This time they were screaming, and the words had become perceptible. They were yelling his name. "Augur!" they cried. "Augur!!!" He ignored them because of the viscous convulsions that were now erupting through his every pore. Yet the voices shrieked louder. "Augur!!!! AUGUR!!!!!!" 

"Augur, for Christ's sake, what does it take to get you up?" Augur opened his eyes to see his mother standing over him, her arms crossed, looking very upset. "Finally, Lazy. What's wrong with you?" She continued her ranting while Augur reviewed the recent nightmare he had. This was very likely the most disturbing thing that he had ever experienced. He knew that the vision had probably made him late, why else would his mom be yelling at him to get up? Augur finally began to listen to what she had to say when she was wrapping up. 

"Sorry, Mom," he yawned. 

"Yeah, well, sorry won't make you on time for your schooling. Now hurry up, I'm sick of having to get you out the door every day." 

_Oh no, _Augur thought,_ that's right. _For the next few days he would be going on a little trip to the Earthbound Village. Earthbounds disgusted him, but he had to admit, this would be better than more days his usual life. Though he would not want to live anywhere else, sometimes Enhasa became so boring. 

Augur ignored the golden beauty of the morning sunlight as he ran out the door, grabbing his pair of half-swords while he left. Two years ago, at the age of fifteen, someone had taken notice of him while he was screwing around with his magic, and he had ended up in a magical enhancement class for the gifted among the Enlightened. He still did not believe that his skills were anything special, but he did admit that he had improved them since entering the school. Even though didn't think much of his magical abilities, they must have been pretty good, since they had to pull quite a few strings to get him into the class at his age. Most were started when they were very young. 

Currently, there was only one other student in the class, and indeed, she was quite young. She had joined not to long ago, and she just celebrated her sixth birthday, making her the same age as Schala. Her name was Seraph, and Augur honestly thought that she already possessed more magical ability than he did. For a white innate, she worked amazingly well with black elements, while Augur had a bit of trouble pulling off anything outside of yellow spells, which happened to be his innate. 

Enlightened ones with gifts like him and Seraph would end up with highly respected jobs in the community. Most of the inhabitants in this division of power ended up assisting the Gurus or King Zeal himself on expositions that required abundant amounts of magic. Many of them will make great discoveries or be excellent fighters in battles because of their skills. Augur, now at six feet tall and seventeen years of age, had practiced fighting with his half-swords since he had been very young, and he would make a strong physical fighter if the Kingdom of Zeal ever needed one, which it wouldn't. It seemed to be a curse; the one thing he did with excellence, his kingdom would never need. He had given his half-swords the name of rapiers, since it sounded better than half-swords basically meant the same thing. And if there was one type of magic that Augur was a professional at, he could use offensive magic like few people he'd ever seen, although he had to admit he hadn't seen that many. There was no need to use such levels of harmful power on the floating island, but maybe down below in the ice they would become quite handy. 

Seraph, on the other hand, had seemed to be good at everything. Candor, the teacher, really liked her. Candor was a woman of twenty-seven, and quite attractive despite the fact she didn't have many years left of her youth. Had she not been his teacher, and just a few years closer to his age, Augur would have asked her on a date. She had completed the same course he was taking before she decided that she would teach others to use their magic. The decision came when her old teacher had passed on. Candor was a very kind and gentle woman, and she used magic with a precision he had never seen. Her blue innate made her especially superior with healing and certain supplemental types of magic. 

Augur arrived at his destination at the same time that Candor was leading Seraph out the door. "So good of you to join us, Augur," Candor smiled. "I'm so glad that you weren't any later, because you know that I would not enjoy your chastisement." She was carrying a magical staff that she used on occasion, and Seraph held a tiny bow with a quiver of arrows on her back. 

After Augur muttered for a bit, they all traveled swiftly to the teleporter that would take them to the mainland. Most of the humans rarely, if ever, used it. Most Enlightened ones did things that only gave them gratification, and it was not considered leisurely to freeze your ass off in a blinding snowstorm. Augur had used the teleporter once before, and he was sure that Candor had, but this would be Seraph's first trip out of Enhasa. Candor would go first, and Augur last, so that the little girl was never left alone. 

Augur watched as the two girls went, one at a time, until they disappeared. When Augur jumped into the portal after them, and the sensations began instantaneously. The wavering matter gave him sensations that could only be described as extraordinary, and the orgasms of energy jolts left him dazzled. He did not even notice anything until long after he was on the giant continent below the floating palace. From here it would be a mile long trudge to Port Dalton, the transportation depot for all journeys on the continent. They built it a mile from the teleporter to discourage civilians from coming in often and creating a ruckus. They had to work continually to keep the station from becoming immersed in mounds of snow, because the never-ending blizzard was forever dumping more ice and sleet on the area the base sat. It was a hassle, but it was only until King Zeal's men could finish work on the Blackbird. The Blackbird would be a revolutionary mighty airship that could fly like the birds, and when it was complete, Port Dalton would be abandoned and buried by snow. 

The first quarter of the journey was not tough for Augur or Candor, but for a six year old, it became quite difficult. This magnified when about halfway to the station, a snow beast popped up with two icemen. The snow beast looked like a large wild dog, only much fatter, and the icemen were basically a cross between a man and a polar bear. They all had sharp claws and deadly mandibles, and they looked rather starved. 

Augur was the first to pull out his weapon, and he slashed both of his blades diagonally and upward on an iceman. A large red X appeared on the chest of his white fur-covered body. He fell, and the snow became stained with a deep crimson. Augur had slashed through the ribcage into the lungs and the heart. The creature whimpered softly while it lay dying on the plain of white. 

Candor glanced at the other iceman, so she did not see the snow beast attack. It lunged forward quite rapidly, and dug its fangs deep into the left leg, immersing the teeth in her blood. When she tumbled backward, the softened flesh tore easily, and the beast had quite a bit left in his mouth. Candor bled profusely from her thigh, and snow immediately began to descend into the open wound. The animal swallowed the piece of her leg, with very little skin falling to the ground, and then it lurched forward again, this time aiming for the head of Candor. 

The beast was no more than a few inches from sinking it's teeth into her neck when it was miraculously blown sideways. A dark ball of energy hit the critter below its shoulder on the side, and dark waves of electricity surged through its body. When it hit the ground ten feet away, it rolled over at least three times, leaving a spray of loose powder hanging in the air. Candor thanked God and then cast a potent healing spell on her deep gash. Even with the healing spell, it would be difficult to walk to Port Dalton, and if the weather turned bad, she could easily die in the cold. For now, however, she had to concentrate on helping her allies with the battle. 

"HELP ME!" Candor bellowed. This made Augur turn to see the injured woman on the earth, and when he did, the second iceman attacked him from behind. The hit came from the backhand of a paw, and instantly knocked him to the ground. He rolled over and blocked a downward swing of the massive claw with his rapier, and sliced a large cut in the side with the other one. It growled in agony, but then managed to catch Augur off guard by grasping the teen's arms and pinning him to the ground. The iceman bared its teeth and was about to strike. 

Augur was getting winded, and it took a lot of his remaining strength to summon his magical charm. The supernatural force came in the form of a medium-strength lightning bolt that sprang outward from his chest, and flowed through the air to the body of the beast. Melting snow on its body made the fur of the beast a delightful conductor, and bolts danced around the creature and entered the body. Augur forced the lightning out of his body for as long as possible, and the electricity was beginning to fry the organs of the iceman. When Augur could keep the assault up no longer, he released it, and the animal jumped off as the static electricity that formed between the ground and the mammal propelled him a few feet. Neither of them could move for a few seconds. 

Meanwhile, the snow beast had gotten back up, and charged toward the fallen Candor. Seraph shot an arrow toward the brute, but the wind caught it and carried it elsewhere. Candor could now see the determination in the eyes of the snow beast, and admitted to herself that it scared her. When it got close enough, Candor swung her arm around. "Take this, you fiend," and out of her hand formed a large ice crystal. It was sharp at the end away from her, and when Candor sent the crystal flying through the air, it became quite deadly. When it struck the beast, it entered below the neck, and since the animal was on four legs, it continued downward through the chest until the body of the creature covered it completely. The spike was about two feet long and six inches wide, and still managed to be completely encased in the flesh from the upper torso to the lower area of the stomach. Candor cast another spell immediately, and the icy shaft exploded, sending jagged splinters flying. The fragments of ice cut many large holes in the underside of him, and numerous areas of skin plainly hung downward toward the earth. A few spikes left the stomach just to cross the threshold of fur that was on his four legs, causing them to give out. The pieces also traveled higher into the body, creating large gaps in the heart, lungs, stomach, liver, and kidneys. A chord of intestine was cut, and because of the holes in his abdomen, a few of the lower organs spilled onto the ground. Many neural tissues were severed, and the creature would have been paralyzed if he had any chance of surviving. A few stray ice particles entered the brain or exited through the back, but they were icing on the cake, for the creature was dead long before they reached their destination. When it was all over, the snow beast plunged downward to the terrain, leaving a bloody mess that the storm would swallow within the hour. 

As for the final assailant, Seraph shot another arrow in his direction, and this time it hit him. The arrow sailed through the air in the brief moment that the wind had ceased its battle, and entered the eye of the critter. The tip was made of a light metal, but still penetrated the soft eye tissue rather effortlessly, and killed the iceman as soon as it touched the brain. 

The battle had ended, and Augur and Seraph helped the injured Candor to her feet. "Man, that doesn't look too good," Augur noted, seeing that her wound was turning black from the cold. As the temperature dropped, they would have to worry about frostbite. Augur and Seraph both cast powerful healing spells on her leg, but they would not be enough, for she would continue to hurt it as she walked to the station. Augur helped her walk, and Seraph was at their sides, because she, being only six, would have almost as much trouble as Candor. 

Despite the injury, Candor kept a clear head, trying to avoid disheartening the group. The three joked as they continued to Port Dalton. "Hey Seraph," Candor spoke. "Thanks for that black magic attack. It probably saved me from the snow beast." 

"Thanks," came the replied. Seraph had always seemed rather quiet. 

Augur chimed in, "Come on now, why doesn't anyone thank me? I took out the first iceman, and kept the second one busy while you two just took your time with your enemy." 

"Yeah, well you didn't really help any of us. Seraph's magic is why I'm still breathing right now." Candor added. "And you should thank her for killing the last iceman, Augur." 

"Hey, if you're going there, then you should know that you almost got me killed when you yelled for help. I would hurt you for that now, but it looks like a measly snow beast beat me to it." 

Candor grew silent. Augur realized that he had probably come off more harsh than he wished to be with that comment, and he now regretted it, seeing that he hurt her. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean it like that. I just, well, I kind of got carried away." 

"I know, Augur," she said. "I really don't blame you, I shouldn't have said you didn't help, because you did." 

"Yeah, well, I really didn't have to go there. Don't bring fault to yourself. I'll just try to be more careful." 

"Jeez, I liked it better when we weren't fighting." Seraph surprised both of them by chiming in, and they all agreed, laughingly, that the trip would be easier if they went back to joking instead of blaming. 

The adventurers persevered through the storm, and with the injury to Candor's leg, it took a lot longer than it probably should have. Almost immediately after they arrived at Port Dalton, she received direct medical treatment. Healers and doctors alike looked at the leg, and within a day she became better. Magical healing did quite a bit, and removed any scar left from the injury, but only surgery could totally heal a wound as serious as the one she had. 

The first night, Seraph and Augur stayed at a doctor's house while Candor healed, and in that time the blizzard became a snow hurricane. For the next two days, the inn located in Port Dalton kept them for free. Augur had grown kind of attached to the innkeeper, although he did not know her name. She was kind, and rather attractive, with long blondish hair and piercing green eyes. They talked for a long while on the second day stuck at the small hotel. Here Augur learned that Dalton would be leading an exposition to the Earthbound Village as soon as the snow let up. This was very good news, because the twenty-five mile hike could cause some problems if they were unassisted. Augur had seen Dalton once before, and he was not a bad looking man for thirty, which explained in part why he had always been such a horndog. The only flaw that he really had was that he utterly, totally, and unimaginably insane. 

The third night was to be the last at the inn. The storm had let up, and Dalton agreed to let them come on the journey as long as they did not cause any trouble. Augur had a conscious idea that he let them come because his sex-driven mind probably liked Candor's anatomy. But an escort was an escort, and there was no way that they would pass it up. 

As Augur slept that final night, he could feel that something was wrong. A sharp crash of lightning awakened him. Even during the flash, it stayed pitch black in the room, but Augur managed to see once his eyes adjusted. Then the weirdest thing that could happen happened. The voices that were in his dream a few days ago returned, and this time they were speaking plain English. Also, this time they were not talking to him, but amongst themselves. 

"The fabrics of time are going to be destroyed!" one whispered. 

"They are already unwoven. This will not do much more damage." came another. 

"NO!!! They can be fixed!!" yet a third said. 

The conversation continued. "We cannot allow anyone to get their hands on that device. It will destroy everything." 

"We can get it. We will keep it safe." 

"It must be destroyed. There is no other way." 

"Enough about that, what about the boy? What will we do with him?" 

"He is a risk too. We must be careful. If we wish to truly repair the damage to the timestream, he may be are only hope. But he also may be the complete destruction of everything that we hold dear…" 

The voices vanished as soon as the next lightning bolt crashed. Augur was scared out of his mind, and he could not go back to sleep. Funny, such a thing as strange voices usually did not bother him all, but it just seemed so weird. He left his room and traveled downstairs to the main lobby. The innkeeper that he liked, whose name turned out to be Astra, woke up as he traveled down the flight of steps. She greeted Augur before asking him what in the name of Zeal's holy ancestors he was doing up at this hour. 

"Couldn't sleep" came the reply from Augur. _Wow, _he thought. _She is beautiful. Even when she is sleeping, she looks wonderful. _Augur let the thought slip out of his mind. He was letting his hormones speak for his brain again. 

Astra smiled at him. Astra also happened to like Augur. He was rather tall, and handsome, and his shiny silverish hair drew attention away from his muscles. She thought he had a nice personality, although his humor left something to be desired. She let her long blonde hair drop to the counter, which she had somehow managed to fall asleep on. After they sat next to each other on the couch in the lounge, the two talked for a while, and both of them were maybe hoping that the other would make a move, but through the night, no one did. After a couple of hours, they both became tired, and Augur fell asleep on the sofa. Astra somehow managed, either by mistake or intentionally, to fall asleep hugging him. She whispered into Augur's ear before she dosed off, and though he was asleep when she said it, he somehow heard it. "Don't go tomorrow, I am worried that something will happen." 

When Augur woke up in the morning, he found himself upstairs in the inn, not down on the sofa. He made a comment to Seraph about the thunder last night, but she insisted that there was no storm, that it had virtually quit before they all went to bed. Finally, when he came downstairs, he greeted Astra. In a short conversation, he asked her the question that haunted him since he woke up. "How did I manage to get back upstairs last night?" 

Astra looked puzzled. "Back upstairs? You were never downstairs last night." This made Augur more confused than he had ever been. 


	3. Chapter 2 - Victims Under The Frozen Hel...

Chrono Shift Chapter 2 

Victims Under The Frozen Hell 

Augur had soon realized that the bizarre incidents of last night were only another dream, but there were two things that still seemed strange about them. The first were the voices. They seemed to be telling him something. Was he the boy that they were talking about? What was this about the timestreams? It was all very mysterious. The second was Astra. The events were so real; they had even seemed more real than some of the things that had actually happened in his life. The weirdest part, however, was the relation that the latter part of the dream had to what was happening right now. 

His thoughts were broken when Astra's soft voice broke the silence. "It was nice having you around these last few days. Will you please stop by on your way home?" The past few minutes had made it plainly obvious that she liked Augur, as she had in the dream. She jumped and gave him a strong hug, and for some reason Augur expected it. He embraced her as well, and it lasted for quite awhile. When they finally let go, Astra gave him a look that was half serious, half affectionate. "You better be careful out there. It's a dangerous place in the Earthbound Village. They hate us Enlightened, you know." 

Augur smiled as he was walking away. He couldn't stop staring at those deep green eyes. "I'll be careful," he assured. "And I'll visit on the way back." While walking semi-backward, he waved at her, and in the process managed to stumble over a chair and end up on his back. 

Astra giggled uncontrollably. "Of course, why should I be worried about you? You're the most cautious person I know." Augur gave her a look, and then left. 

He met Seraph and Candor at the point of departure. Large mammoths would be pulling covered sleds to allow them to travel across the continent. A rather large exposition team had assembled to investigate a power source emitting from a small mountain near the Earthbound Village. They would stop at the village first, because some of the Earthbounds were acting up again. Dalton would enforce the law, in his own twisted way, and then the team would leave. Augur, Seraph, and Candor would be picked up on the way back. 

Augur watched as a few Earthbounds secured ropes and packed supplies and did other things. The filthy animals were given some of the lowliest jobs at Port Dalton, such as custodial, and in exchange they got to sleep in decent shelters and didn't have to search for their food. Augur never enjoyed being around them. He despised them because of their putrid stench, their grimy skin, and their grubby clothes, which were always tattered and disheveled. Seraph was not old enough to really have an opinion on them. Candor, however, was one of the few Enlightened ones that felt sympathy for the Earthbound, despite being in the midst of hundreds that hated them. Augur supposed that they were treated unfairly in the Kingdom of Zeal, but then again, they weren't part of the Kingdom of Zeal anyway. 

There were roughly ten wagons that would be pulled by the mammoths, a few would contain men, and the others food and supplies. The Earthbound had just finished loading up the carts, and now men were pouring into the remaining three. Dalton made special arrangements that Candor would be put in his cart, so Augur and Seraph tagged along. The ride would take eight to ten hours with the giant creatures, but could vary depending on the conditions outside. After they were a good hour into the trip, Dalton made his move. 

"So how's it going, Honey?" he asked Candor deviously. 

Candor eyed him curiously. "Isn't it a little cold to be playing those twisted games of yours, Dalton?" she observed, trying to get him to disappear. 

"Well, Sweet Cheeks, that's why I need you. We can maybe, heat it up a tad?" 

Dalton was notoriously known for being a mischievous sex hound in Zeal, but Candor had never actually met him. "No Dalton, I don't need to, nor do I want to, try anything with you." She contemplated what his reaction would be. She knew he would not give up; being unproblematic did not fit his attitude. 

"Oh, but Baby," came the reply. Dalton began to slide his arm around Candor, but she brushed it away. "Come on, I'm really not a bad guy, and I can show you a good time." 

Augur had watched the exchange for a while, but was quickly growing tired of it. He chose to pipe up. "Listen, Dalton," he barked. "She's not one of your cheap whores. She doesn't like you, and she doesn't want to do anything with you. Can't you get that through your thick skull?" 

Dalton was outraged. "Why, you little dirty, how dare you? I ought to kill you," he sputtered. "You better watch your back, pal. Nobody insults the Great Dalton! Insulting me in front of a fine lady is like two death wishes in one!!" 

"Great Dalton? That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. Your reputation comes purely from your love of cheap booze and even cheaper women, while ruthlessly fighting like a renegade, without any shred of honor or dignity in you." 

Dalton struggled for a decent rebuttal, but his mind failed to aid him, so instead he cursed and threatened some more. "What gives you the right to talk like that to me? I'm a high ranking officer and the King's right hand man, and you're lucky you live on the island, you insignificant little punk." 

"Why do you think Zeal always brings your name up before anyone else's on all these foolhardy missions?" 

"Because he respects me and he knows that I'll get the job done." 

Augur smiled because he knew he had Dalton ensnared, and the best part, as always, came from the satisfaction that he did not realize Augur's carefully laid out preparations. "Did you ever think that he always sends you away because he can't stand to have you around? The only reason you ever got the position in the first place is your father had been a friend of his father. You didn't ever really think that you had some kind of special skill or talent that qualified you for the job, did you?" Dalton, dumbfounded, made no indication other than silence to let Augur know he had been heard. 

During all of this, Candor had gotten up and began to leave. Dalton noticed. While slapping her on the butt, he inquired, "Come on, Sugar, don't leave me hanging here. Just give me a chance." Candor became angry, and smacked him across the face hard enough to knock him backwards. She then proceeded to abscond, with Dalton and Augur remaining. 

"Serves you right, Dalton. You should be more careful when selecting your prey. Some of them fight back." 

Dalton grinned. "Yeah, I like it that way. It makes it so much hotter." 

"Really, Dalton. She isn't even close to your type. I thought you were more into the likes of, oh, I don't know, say, me." Augur nailed Dalton below the belt with that one, and he knew it. 

"Alright you little prick, get ready to perish." Dalton drew his sword and pointed it right at Augur. Augur retorted by pulling out his two smaller swords. Dalton saw the blades, and knew that if Augur attacked, he would be unable to block them both. Dalton had his usual cowardly reply prepared. "Your lucky, son. This is neither the time nor the place to be dueling. When we get to the Earthbound Village, you better have someone to watch your ass!" 

No one saw Dalton for quite awhile. The hours passed, they were making good time, and would probably arrive in the cave dwellings of the Earthbound with a trip time of only seven hours, better than anyone could expect. Even with the shortened length of the trip, it was still insidiously boring. Augur thought of how much easier it would be just to die than to wait around doing nothing. When they were nearing their destination, the sun still remained elevated in the sky, peeking out from under the scores of clouds. With just a few minutes to go, they were blindsided by a massive hitch in the mission. 

A strong gust had gathered at the moment of the beginning of the onslaught, so no one really noticed what was happening for several critical seconds. It took one of the giant mammoths crashing through one of the covered sleds containing explorers for everyone to detect the problem. The horrid scream of death alerted some of the Zealian soldiers, and the rest were aware when a messenger howled at all that were in Augur's transport to get out and fight. 

When they were outside, Seraph was the first to point at an enormous group of icemen that had collected. Their first attack had been on two of the sleds containing supplies, but the main damage was done when the mammoths became free, and simultaneously, quite frightened and unwittingly, caused the true carnage began. They ran free in every direction, and in the process, leveled three more carts. One of them had contained men for the mission, and a large number were now lying on the ground, wounded in numerous ways. Many men had been trampled or crushed. Several had their skulls caved in or broken bones ranging from the appendages to ribs and the spine. When the hooves of the animals would land on a hapless victim's chest, the weight would be great enough to puncture all the way through. Sometimes the combination of fresh blood and snow would make a temporary adhesive and the colossal creatures dragged men underneath their feet for long distances, as their lifeless arms and legs flailed aimlessly, dangling out from underneath. 

The situation further worsened when everyone realized most of the weapons were in supply carts, and in the distance between the warriors and their tools of death were the savage sasquatch monsters. The icemen now saw the humans, and drew themselves nearer, although some ignored them as they were already feeding on dead carcasses. The only soldiers that would have weapons would be the ones who brought their own personal hardware along with them on the journey, yet the Enlightened had a clear advantage in the situation. They all possessed at least traces of magic, and would not hesitate to use it when they saw their fallen colleagues on the snow. 

Augur watched as one man flung a fireball at a beast, although did not do much more than singe the fur. The next spell came in the form of numerous small lightning balls, and struck with enough force to knock several incoming icemen backwards. Two had apparent seizures from the attack, and wouldn't stop vibrating. Another attack came from the left side of Augur. This one was a plain water stream, which pulverized one of the adversaries in the face. This did little more than push it back, but it was combined by the icy force of another fighter, who froze the stream, encasing the head of the brute in ice. 

By now, some of the more physical combatants with blades were fighting in close combat. The first one to reach an iceman was beheaded by a strong swipe from the oversized claws. The next man leaped into the air and drove his sword deep into the neck of the murderer of his ally. The beast landed on its back, and the victor removed the sharp edge, revealing the blood stains on the iron. He did not see the attack from behind, and after being batted down to the ground, the claws of the enemy soon plunged deep into his chest, digging out chunks of fleshy tissue. The meat seemed to be a fine delicacy for the icemen, as they consumed it with the utmost respect that a wild mammal could have shown for a victim. 

Augur gazed over the battle. At places he would see the defenders standing gloriously over the snow creatures. These icemen showed severed arms, and some had axes or swords sticking out of the chest or back. One axe happened to be rather large, and had split the skull and head of an animal into equal halves. At other areas of the battle, remains of his partners in arms were dying in the worst of ways. Some lay suffering without legs, endeavoring to crawl away, their bloody stumps oozing their insides onto the earth, where there was not enough snow to absorb the reddish pools forming around them. Two men were lying facedown on the ground, giant rips traveling all the way down their backs. Augur watched in horror as one man was hit hard enough by the smack of a paw that his head landed at least twenty feet from his body. 

Augur knew now that he had to get involved. The lieutenants of the mystical army were not faring as well as they should have been. With some effort, Augur charged up an area on the ground between the second and third lines of the icemen. He pinpointed the area in which he would release the spell, and then on that land he charged up a cluster of rather potent fire energy. He increased the intensity as much as he could, then he released the flames that had fabricated in the vicinity of the charge. 

The effect of the spell ended up being scandalously more powerful than Augur had planned on. As soon as he let go of his control on the energy, an explosion erected. From the explosion came a deafening report, and an inferno stretching in all directions. Many nearby iceman themselves exploded, with their heads being separated and then turning into a thick stew of chunky gore. The shockwave knocked several of the closer beasts off their feet. All of the fallen icemen were immediately barbecued, and many beyond them also collapsed in the blaze. The fur torched right off his foes, and many layers of their hides were seared down to the bone. Toward ground zero, it was so hot that bone had actually melted. Some of the icemen further from the blast were still being almost instantaneously shattered into billions of bits of roasted meat. Flaming hunks of muscle were now beginning to spray some of the creatures that had been fortunate enough to be away from the detonation, and they were also dropping, swatting at the sticky hot embers, trying to remove them. They were flying fast enough to break through a few layers of skin, where they sat and burned themselves deep within the animals. 

Everyone felt the heat from the high flames. It lit up the sky to a vibrancy seen only when staring directly at the sun. Brilliant oranges and reds were reflected off the clouds, and even the snow became colored. When the fire finally died down, the rumbling echo from the bang lingered discernible. A small area of snow actually caught fire, despite the fact that all Augur's teachings told him it is completely impossible for snow to burn. A large cave formed when the explosion caused the collapse of the surface about twenty feet away. Augur accumulated his thoughts in absolute awe of the power he had released. Maybe he was a gifted magician after all. 

The stunning effects of the spell had caused a collective hypnosis, among both icemen and the Enlightened. Dalton was the first to react, and he cast a dark wave over a medium sized group of the remaining enemies. The air wavered in the aftermath, and black clouds of energy polluted the area. White flashes were barely visible from inside the cloud, but the shrill crying that murmured out from underneath the blanket unmistakably meant that the snowmen could only be suffering copiously. When the evil dust cleared, all that remained were collapsed bodies. This was the nature of dark magic. It always produced strange effects, and the subtlest of attacks frequently caused the most damage. 

Everyone resumed their quarrels, but the humans had the major advantage now. Finishing the slaughter would still take some time, but it would be near impossible to get all of the damaged supplies to the Earthbound Cave. Dalton called at some of the troops to approach him. When it looked as if he were ready to begin some speech or order, he glared at Augur. "You," he said. "Get over here right now. I have a job for you." 

Augur obeyed and sprinted over to the assemblage, listening as Dalton began to talk. "As you know," he began "These beasts attacked us, and we are making them pay. We will win this battle, there is no question about that. For all of you, I have another mission. Fight through the line of these deranged snowmen, or whatever the hell they are, and salvage whatever supplies you can from the destroyed snow carts. Load them up on the remaining ones, and don't worry about overfilling them. We will sort it out after we are finished." 

The men all agreed that this was a good idea. For a man that was completely nuts, Dalton had some decent strategies for fighting. A few of the men formed the front line and began to walk toward the onslaught. Just as Augur began to leave with them, a snowball hit him in the back of the ear, and fairly hard. Augur cursed and turned to see Seraph running towards him, Candor not far behind. When Seraph reached him, she panted between her breaths, "Candor…thought it…would be best…if we…stayed together." Augur agreed. 

The three stuck to the back of the lines, but as they closed in on the horde of creatures, the soldiers wanted Augur to lead the assault. Candor spoke at this time. "I think that you will all agree that this should be very hit-and-run. We don't want to many of these things after us. Avoid as much conflict as possible." All of the men acknowledged the idea positively. Then Augur drew his rapiers out from their sheaths and ran silently in the snow. The warriors followed his example. 

When Augur reached the first of the furry animals, he held his sword out sideways, and ended up cutting a deep gash into its back. The iceman fell, and the soldier behind him drove a sword through the back of the skull, which protruded completely, and exited through the nose of the beast. 

Working in the fashion that birds fly in a V to break up the wind, the men cut a sliver through the lightened lines of icemen. Magic pushed the fiends back on all sides. One spell spontaneously combusted an iceman, creating a living fireball out of him. He fled the area with flames jumping high off his white coat, and grabbed a comrade looking for help. It also caught fire, and the two crumpled. The fire bent the arms and legs into strange shapes as it devoured them. 

Candor provided a protective shield over the outer layer of men. Holding up the barrier briskly took its toll on the woman, and she did not know how much longer she could keep it up. Even now a couple soldiers were being picked off and murdered. 

Some of the Zealians back by Dalton were offering their support by sending showers of death on the icemen. A large fireball crushed several into the earth, no doubt shattering them and allowing the fire to roast all of their organs at the same time. Lightning bolts were downing the beasts with single blasts, often containing enough heat to char their whole bodies. The ice showers were the deadliest, because as they poured down, the large sharp hail fell on the heads of the beasts and pierced them. Ice chunks would down them left and right, and blood fountains erupted from where the fresh wounds had opened. 

When they reached the far side of the icemen, Seraph summoned some of her white magic. A flash of pure, holy light tore through the bodies of ten intruders abruptly, and killed faster than a blade through the head would. Their bodies plummeted to the ground, where they became tangled amongst each other. Seraph then sent several spears of light at the creatures, which perforated through them immediately, but left no hole where they hit. Some went directly through three or more of the enemies. The attack lasted less than a second, because the beams were of very high speed. At least a dozen cadavers crashed to the earth. 

The men then formed two groups. One would do the job of recovering the lost supplies, and the other would be a defensive group to keep the icemen from interfering with the job. The search and rescue group realized that on this half of the transports, two carriages were downed, and three remained. Augur, Candor, and Seraph found what they could and put it into the large pile that the rest were forming. They would carry it to the carts and load them up after the remaining adversaries were defeated. As it stood there were only about a hundred to a hundred-fifty remaining, and they were now perishing rapidly. 

Augur noticed that a green poison had cursed many of the icemen. They were reacting slower and falling more easily now. Augur wondered who could cast such a powerful poison, since there were very few people who could still use authoritative green magic. Green magic had become rare since the snowstorm had covered the land many years ago. There still existed quite a bit if you knew where to find it, but magic users with a green innate were all but extinct. 

As Seraph put a drum of food into the pile, she gazed off to the side, and screamed. This sound alerted everyone, and one even lost his life because it diverted his attention from the conflict. Augur and Candor soon saw what Seraph had seen. Approaching nearer, and quickly, came a giant iceman, which could easily be designated as the king of the icemen. The colossal monster stood at least fifteen feet tall. Candor brought control to the group when she told everyone to continue their jobs. She then glanced at Augur and Seraph. "We'll get rid of this beast. We are the most powerful among these men. Let's take it out." 

Seraph responded by shooting an arrow. The arrow struck King Iceman in the chest, but could not even pierce the skin, instead becoming tangled in the fur and hanging there. King Iceman responded by picking up a large chunk of ice and lobbing it at the three. They all ran out of the way in time, and they saw layers of snow uplift around the boulder. Seraph readied her bow again, and this time when she shot, the arrow was powered up by a fire spell from Candor. When she shot, the wind picked up, but it did not carry the arrow enough to move it away from the giant. With the hot red metal tip of the dart, it again struck King Iceman, this time in the thigh. The hot metal allowed it to penetrate through the skin this time, and it easily scalded several layers of tissue. The wooden stick of the arrow exploded on impact, causing fiery splinters to singe the fur. This also left no way for the burning metal to be removed from the creature. 

King Iceman fell to one knee, and then recovered, quite angrily. He extended a hefty claw, and blue energy began to quiver in his hand. Seraph looked at Candor. "Icemen have magic?" she exclaimed. Candor was equally stunned. While they were hesitating, a river of freezing water soaked the trio several times through. King Iceman then tried to harden the water, hoping to encase them in ice. They were too clever for that, and they all cast small fire spells to protect themselves. The water didn't freeze, and Augur responded by dashing forward and taking large swings at the legs of the animal. Three cuts did appear on his right leg, but they did not do more than make him wince. King Iceman kicked his leg outward, and Augur was sent flying back to his friends. Blood stained the white fur where the iceman had been cut, but he did nothing to cover it, simply letting it drip to the ground, discoloring his leg. 

King Iceman dashed towards Seraph, brought his arm back, and swiped at her. Seraph lunged out of the way just in time, but the other paw grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. King Iceman began to put more pressure on the little girl in an attempt to crush her bones. Augur saw this, and then gave Candor a look, who nodded in response. Using the charge of some black magic, he propelled high into the air, flying straight towards the cranium of the oversized thug. Candor pointed, and both blades strengthened with the power of shadow magic. Augur did not hit his intended targets of the eyes, and when he did hit the creature, his blades were not at a good offensive angle. The blow wasn't fatal, but it did have an effect. The rapiers swiftly removed the exposed skin on the forehead of King Iceman, and the bone of the skull became visible. When the sword had hit that, a blackish flash shrouded the sky for a brief second before disappearing. Barely crashing into the skull sent Augur tumbling away from the fight. The magic had not died off yet, and he continued to be torpedoed through the air, with no way of stopping gravity. When he finally landed, he was a good hundred feet away from the battle. The shock he received from the ground knocked him unconscious. 

As for King Iceman, he faltered backward, and landed face up, with the skull sticking out above the eyes. He released Seraph, virtually uninjured. Both Candor and Seraph were extremely drained from the magic used on icemen since the attack on the sleds began. One trick that Candor still had left was her mystical staff. She walked over to the king, who immediately crawled to his knees after falling, and pasted him with the stick. The magic that had been stored within the rod caused it to hit with incredible force, and the iceman again collapsed. Seraph gathered her strength and hurled a ball of multiple energies at the beast. When it struck him, every effect in the magic spectrum rocked King Iceman briefly. He trembled on the ground in spasms, but after it was done he still proceeded to stand up. 

King Iceman then shot out a cluster of ice spears at the two. Candor put up a weak magic shield, and Seraph complemented it. Neither Candor nor Seraph could surmount much more of the attacks. Candor scarcely managed to cause a rock spike to rise out from underneath the king to stop his ice blaze. The spike infiltrated his left leg completely, and he was now stuck. Then Candor collapsed from the overuse of her magic. 

It was now up to Seraph to kill the king. Her small body could not stand much more magic use, either. She armed her bow with an arrow, and then added all of the pure energy she could. The arrow glimmered a blinding white, and lit up the sky for an extensive distance. King Iceman picked up a large boulder and held it over his head, preparing to throw. Seraph knew that she could not muster the strength to move out of the way, so the missile on her bow was her only chance. 

Seraph subsided as soon as the arrow was released. From her new point on the ground, she watched the projectile rocket towards its target. It made a thunderous sound as it crossed the distance between the bow and the iceman. Though it happened in the blink of an eye, it seemed slow in Seraph's mind. The arrow hit its target right in the nose, and smashed its way through the snout. The energy in the arrow extended the fissure outward from the center. The brain of King Iceman disintegrated when it was touched by the aura surrounding the bullet. It then crossed the path through the back of the head and disappeared in the sky, continuing to the heavens. King Iceman fell backward, and in doing so, released his grip on the massive rock. The spike was still in his leg, so he did not fall completely. This allowed the icy stone to plummet right on top of the king's head, demolishing it, and leaving it only a half foot thick, just a fraction of its original extent. The remaining few icemen were fleeing in the distance. As soon as it was over, Seraph fainted.  


	4. Chapter 3 - Distant World

Chrono Shift Chapter 3 

Distant World 

Augur opened his eyes. The last thing that he remembered was falling, and now he was surprised to see that some kind of dirt surrounding imprisoned him. His mind ran wild trying to figure out what had happened. Slowly he thought over the past few days of his life. He remembered that he had left Enhasa. He remembered being in the snowstorm. He remembered fighting, and draining his energy. He didn't remember blacking out, or how he got here. But when he saw the old man sitting in the corner, the painful realization sank in like a bag of iron in the ocean. 

The man dressed in rags, his white hair uncombed and his pale skin turned a brownish color from dirt. He looked in no way presentable. The combination of the appearance of the old man, and the dirt surroundings of his quarters allowed him to discover where he was. Augur had been told numerous stories about the Earthbound Caves, but a story never prepares you for when you truly experience something for the first time. 

"Good, I see that you're up. I was becoming worried. The troops left you here while they went out on some reckless exploration. There seems to be a young girl and a pretty woman here that are concerned about you." 

Augur was still adjusting to his surroundings. He was taken back, partially because of the foul smell, partially because of the dirty room, and partially because an Earthbound man was actually giving him hospitality. In the midst of all this, Augur stretched his arms and asked, "How long have I been out?" 

The man spoke without apprehension. "Nearly three days," he said. "And that's just from when we received you. You were probably out for longer." 

Augur still remained in shock. The Earthbound were supposed to be mindless savages. This man treated him with dignity and respect, even though the Earthbounds had been discriminated against for countless millennia. Maybe he was having one of those freaky dreams again. He expected to hear strange voices at any time, but none came. 

"You're probably hungry. I'll go get you something to eat. We don't have a whole lot of variety here in these caves, but I hope that you enjoy it." 

Augur knew that this wasn't right. How could it be? Could more than ninety nine percent of Zeal be wrong about the Earthbounds? Was it possible that he wasn't dreaming? Augur could not believe it, but in case he was wrong, these people would be holding him here for a few days, so he decided he had better treat them well. As the man left the room, Augur spoke the first words that he had ever spoken to an Earthbound without bias. "Hey," he paused for a second, and when he had the elder's attention, said "Can you get those two girls in here for me? I'd like to see them." 

"Sure, that won't be a problem," the elder said. 

"And by the way," Augur found it difficult to force the words out of his mouth, but he did it anyway, "Thanks for your help." 

"The old man smiled. "No problem. I guess we hit a lucky streak these past few days. We found three Enlightened ones that don't hate us. If only the rest of your kind could be so accepting. I believe they would be more accommodating if they would just realize that we're made of the same blood that they are." 

The old man left the room. Augur, still puzzled, tried to figure out the situation. If only the old man knew what I really thought of the Earthbound. But when I'm done here, will I still have the same opinion? Augur laid down to think about it, but ended up dozing off again. 

The voices returned in his sleep, but Augur had become accommodated to them, and he knew they were only part of a dream. It seemed as if the voices had stopped trying to convince him that they were real. He didn't even notice much of the conversation, until one of them caught his attention. 

"The hour is fast approaching. Should we interfere with the fight?" 

We don't even know who we want to win the fight. There is no way that we should interfere." 

"I have my money on the kid. You all saw what he did in that battle." 

"Yes, but he is weak right now. He can be defeated." 

"Augur?" The last voice was not cold and raspy like the other ones in his dreams. This one was sweet and soft. He knew instantly that it belonged to Candor, and opened his eyes. He saw her sitting on his crude bed, and standing near the door were Seraph and the elderly man. 

"I just left you a minute ago, and again you fell asleep? Oh, well. Here is your food. You can eat it while you catch up with your friends. I'm sorry if it isn't to your liking, but as I mentioned, we don't have a lot of selection here." The elder put the bowl in Augur's hands, and then placed a crude wooden spoon on the bed. As he left, Augur again thanked the man. 

Before he left, Candor asked, "Sir, you have been so kind to us, and yet we don't even know your name. Can you tell us what it is?" 

The elder looked back. "I am the leader of the Earthbounds. You may call me what you wish, but I was born with the name 'Ishmael.'" 

Augur looked down at his soup. It was a strange brown mixture of a thin broth and a thicker sludge. It did not seem appetizing, but he had not eaten in nearly three days, and whether or not he was unconscious at that time, his body still used energy. Augur sipped a little. It tasted surprisingly good, it had a unique yet effective blend of whatever spices could be found in the cave. He ate slowly as he talked with the girls. 

"What took you so long, sleepyhead? We were both up in a few hours." Seraph stated. "I've never seen anyone sleep like you do." 

"I assume that we won the fight?" Augur inquired. Candor nodded, and then told the story of how Seraph had downed the giant, how the men helped carry them to the cave after the battle, and how Dalton ordered the Earthbounds around as if they were his own men. Candor said that she woke up first in the cave, although Seraph did not take much longer. When Candor awoke, Dalton was debating whether to gravely misuse his hands or not, and Candor had knocked him senseless. Dalton and his men stayed the night in the cave, and seemed to enslave the Earthbound men for the time, and then they left bright and early the next morning on their mission. 

Augur listened to the story as he continued to eat. He finished the entire bowl, which happened to be one of the largest soup bowls Augur had ever consumed. "I suppose we should probably walk around for awhile. There's no use in staying here for the duration of our visit." Candor and Seraph agreed. The three left the soil that made up the room. When Augur saw the outside, he was stunned. The Earthbound Caves were the most intricate underground structure anyone could have ever dreamed of. There were layers upon layers of dirt and mud both above and below him. Homes and businesses were contained within these walls, and they were quite like the room that he had slept in. A massive ravine separated the village into two sections, and on the far side there were more homes. They all had their own primitive doors installed, and some had windows carved into the muddy soil. Ropes and wooden beams and ladders stretched from one side to the other, to allow faster transportation, although it appeared to be rather dangerous. Ladders and ropes also allowed people to travel up and down the giant underground city. The population would have seemed rather large, but all of the houses were dug out early in the history of the Earthbound, and the number of inhabitants since then has declined dramatically. 

Also along certain walls were series of tunnels. These could have been used for a number of different purposes. Augur supposed they could hold food or water reserves, although by the looks of it, if there was ever a surplus, the Earthbound had used it up long ago. Plants were growing out of the walls and the ground. Many were very small, although there were some larger ones in the distance. These, and the rodents that crawled the floors, would be the predominant food source. Augur had seen plants growing naturally on the floating island of Zeal, but none were really impressive. The green innates that were left were usually gardeners or nature caretakers of some sort. Some of the plants in the caves were giants, but like the rest of the things in the Earthbound Cave, many of them were nearly deceased. The smell of death hung all around them. 

"Get away from me!!!" The statement startled the group, and they turned to see a young girl with a dirty blondish hair color. She appeared to be older than Seraph, but not by much, and she huddled on the ground, as if to protect herself. The look on her stomach showed that she was severely starved, and Augur now felt guilty about selfishly devouring his food. He looked into the eyes of the little girl. He saw a great sadness behind overwhelming fear. Tears were now streaming down her face. Again she shouted, "Leave, I don't want to be around you, you, monsters!" Augur was again stunned. Could the Earthbound think of the Enlightened as savages, just as the Enlightened believed that the cave dwellers were unreasonable beasts? Looking at himself now, he realized that Candor was right about them. Just because they were not born with magic, they had been forced to live in this unbearable hell. They were beaten and oppressed for their entire lives, and forced to do the lowest jobs that the Enlightened would not dare do. Augur now knew who the true animals were, and he had been part of the bigotry. Disgusted by his own prejudice, and he looked away in pain and remorse, unable to comfort the little girl. 

As they continued around the cave, they saw many similar sights, and each time they hurt a little more. Groups of them were swearing at him, hiding when they saw his clothes, and shivering with fear. This was the most terrible and hideous place he had ever seen. The Enlightened ones had bred the Earthbounds to live without hope, down in this godforsaken world. 

Eventually they came to a large passage that turned out to be one of the tunnels Augur had seen from the other side. He walked down through it, and after about fifty feet, he saw that the tunnel had contained not food or water, but bones. Dead bodies of the Earthbound were being laid here, and many still had clothes and skin on the carcasses. A skull stuck out from under layers of skin over the corpse. The hollow eye sockets seemed to be staring at him, asking for pity. From within the pit came the scent of rotting flesh, and flies buzzed uncontrollably around the dead bodies. Augur turned to leave, and he saw an old man carrying a girl. "She couldn't make it…" was all that he said. When Augur looked at the dirty blonde hair, he recognized the girl as the one who had screamed at him outside of his room no more than fifteen minutes ago. 

Everything that he saw was hard to tolerate. Seraph or Candor would talk to him from time to time, but Augur had sunken himself so deep in his own thoughts that he did not even pay attention to them. He was too compelled by the constant spitting and profanities directed at him. The chief offered him more food, but instead of accepting it, he made sure that some young and sick child would receive it. Augur had lost his appetite, and he wished to leave the Earthbound Village. He could not envision a more desolate, hopeless, godless place. 

Because the cave lay deep underground, the only light came from fires, and they, too, had to struggle to stay alive. Augur found it impossible to distinguish between day and night. Wind did not enter the cave, but the bitterly cold air still flowed freely inside. Augur's spirit had basically broken since he began his adventure around the vast caverns. He wandered aimlessly through the passageways, until at some point he discovered that he had lost Candor and Seraph, but that did not matter. He searched for some sign of hope for these people. 

While wandering, he came into another passage, which came across as different, but he could not detect the reason. A faded sign pointing in, and a small boy that he did not see sat up and looked at him, who did not seem to care that Augur had on Enlightened clothes. He just spoke softly, "Beyond this cave lies the Mountain of Woe. No one has ever returned that has climbed the Mountain of Woe. I'd be real careful, Mr." Augur thanked him for the advice, but entered anyway. 

Augur had heard of the Mountain of Woe, but he thought that it was only a myth. The Mountain of Woe had been the first attempt to build a city in the sky, but it failed miserably. Everyone on it died for some reason, likely a crucial oversight or blunder by the pioneers. Rumor says that it still floated, but the young boy said that he could climb it. Augur kept walking, but he never made it to the mountain. A voice sounded from the shadows that hid in the cave to break the long silence of his thoughts, "So, this is the mighty Augur. I was expecting a little more from the destroyer of the world." 

The room brightened as flames shot out of the corners of the room. A combustible had been light, and after a few moments, the fires lit the room like the sun did to the Kingdom of Zeal. Both Augur and the figure that the voice had come from cast long shadows across the distance of the cavern. Augur stared at the figure, which was obviously male. The man had several mechanisms on his body, including over an eye and on areas of the legs and torso. One of these mechanisms completely replaced his right arm, and a tube structure came out of where the hand should have been. Augur had seen these metallic type structures in Zeal. They were called machines, but the ones in Enhasa were quite a bit more primitive than the one this man revealed on his body. Besides the machines, the man had several other distinguishing features. He had medium length brown hair, and stood quite a bit taller than Auger. This man also outweighed him by a good hundred pounds, and not because of fat, but because this was one of the strongest men that he had ever seen. He looked as if he could bend hard steel with his naked hands. The man had a long black scar that ran from his cheek to the bottom of his neck, and stood with a stern and fierce glare on his face, highlighted by the blemish. The man's sudden appearance in the cave confused Augur, and he did not know why this man seemed so interested in him. ! "How do you know who I am?" he questioned. 

"I suppose at this stage in your life you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, and for that reason I am sorry for what will occur here today. But first, let me tell you my story. Will you listen to me?" Augur nodded at his request. "Thank you," the man responded. "My name is…" he trailed off. "Call me Gunner. I come from a distant future. I was severely injured in a powerful explosion in my time, which would explain my mechanical arm and other parts of my body. I still wished to continue my work with the military, so I participated in an experiment to make myself a living weapon. Where my hand should be I had this large gun installed." 

This 'gun' thing puzzled Augur. He did not understand it or how it functioned. Gunner saw this and gave him a demonstrated. A mysterious green-yellow stream shot out of the barrel at a high speed, and dug a smoking crater into the wall behind him. The power impressed Augur; he had never seen anything like that performed with a green magic before. He didn't think that green energy could cause an effect similar to the one he had just seen. 

"Anyway," Gunner continued, "One day I was on a ship that was ready to leave for the ocean, and I saw a radiant white illumination miles off the coast. I used my mechanical eye to zoom in on the phenomenon, and what I saw both terrified and fascinated me. The light grew bigger, and it seemed to be swallowing up the water at an incredible rate. I informed the captains, and none of them could figure out the anything about the glimmering object. We only knew that if the explosion continued to engulf everything in its path, we had little time before we would be swallowed up as well. We called base and asked them to identify the occurrence, and they told us that they would notify us when they had information. Being of typical military intelligence, we never heard from the base again, because less than a minute later, the surge hit us. 

"I expected to be killed without delay, but instead, what I experienced was far beyond the comprehension my intellectual capacities. I felt weightless, like I was floating, and my whole body tingled. I saw many vibrant colors swirling around one another, and it seemed to be a strange hallucination. I emerged from the bizarre tunnel, and landed on ground. What I perceived of the world around me startled me, being so unfamiliar. This foreign land was nothing but ruins. Large buildings had tumbled, rubble sat everywhere, and the sky was a dreary, dark gray. Storms swirled around my head. It was the most desolate place I could envision, even worse than this inhabitable cave these people, I believe you call them Earthbounds, are forced to live in. It was as if the whole planet had died. 

"As any human would do in alien territory, I searched for a way back home. I tried to see what nation this might be. Nothing in all of my life, or my teachings, or my knowledge, could have readied me for what I would discover when reading through a geography book. This land had the exact same name as the land I lived in. I was literally in the same city that I had spent the last two years of my life in, and I never knew of any districts being even remotely close to this. Reading through more books, I determined that the outlandishly remarkable passage I had traveled through was actually a time gate. I had landed in the past, at least for me. For you it was still in the distant future." 

Augur continued to listen to the story. It was quite compelling, although he did not understand all of it. This last part about time travel seemed impossible, but the guru Gasper had many times attempted to explore the possibilities of time travel, with minimal success. Still, it seemed that the Guru of Time knew something about it that no one else did. Augur continued to listen to Gunner's account. 

"I could not find anything that would tell me how this had happened, until I made my way into the dungeon of some eerie castle. There were ancient history books standing on dusty shelves covered in cobwebs. It seemed radical to check books wrote hundreds of years ago, but I had searched everywhere else. These books made many references to historical events that never took place, because they could not take place. They were simply so illogical, they were not feasible. But continuing to search them, I found that they did seem correct about many things, including what is experienced when one crosses the plane into the fourth dimension." 

"Huh!?" Augur wondered out loud. 

"Sorry. Time travel. The fourth dimension involves time, or rather, is our world with the addition of time variations factored in. This was in the books as well. One book provided me with all of the information that I needed. It said that a bizarre time wave occurred in the year 12,000 BC." 

"That's ten years from now." 

"Yes, Augur, and you were the one that caused it. The wave transcended time, and uncontrollably caused irreversible damage throughout every moment of time after that." 

"But what did I do?" 

"You probably have no idea about it now, but you grew into a power-starved beast in your future. There was an overwhelmingly powerful artifact hidden in a gargantuan citadel at the bottom of the ocean. When you obtained it, you did not understand the power it held, or how to use it. You eradicated the earth with your silly quest for power." 

"But I am not a greedy person. I have no need or wish to have that much power." 

Someday you might, Augur. No one can predict the future unless they have seen it. I have seen it, and I have taken upon myself the task of correcting it. I searched for several years trying to find another gate, and when I did I ended up in this time. I received word from a common girl of your whereabouts, and I followed you here. She told me that you would be the only male at this place that would be dressed like her." 

"Who was she?" Augur asked. 

"I believe her name was Astra. She worked at an inn at a station known as Port Dalton that's used as the departure point of many of the missions in your country, or kingdom, as you call it. I'm sure you know of it, since she said that you visited there." 

"So how do you plan to correct the future, Gunner? I don't want to see the world end." 

Gunner raised his eyebrow. "Does this mean you plan to sacrifice yourself?" 

Augur was caught off guard. "What do you mean?" he inquired. 

"It would be so much more helpful to me if you would decide to be a martyr. How would you like to save the world by forfeiting your life? You would be hailed as a hero for the rest of time. It would save us both a lot of trouble." 

Augur became enraged. "Are you seriously asking me to let you kill me just based on some lunatic story that you told me? There's no way!! This is unbelievable. You have got to be the most crazy, idiotic, imbecile that I have ever met!" 

Gunner frowned. "You just made your death much harder. Don't you see that killing you is the only way that I can resurrect the future? I am sorry, and I'm not ecstatic about it either, but sometimes a man must surrender to save millions of others. This is the case here. This is your last chance, boy! Will you let me slay you mercifully, or do I have to execute you in violent combat? 

Augur drew his half-swords and pointed them at Gunner, challenging him. "You can't just falsely accuse someone of something as ludicrous as that and expect them to believe you. If you wish to fight me, then so be it. There is no way that I will just lay down my life to be taken! And by the way, it's never a good idea to underestimate your opponent, because I am not going to die today! 

Gunner stared at him. "Fate may be against me this day, but I will fight valiantly to the bitter end. If you truly believe what you are saying, that you are not the guilty party, then fight me with all of your strength, all of your mind, and all of your heart. That is the only way that you will emerge victorious over me, because I can guarantee that I will do the same. I wish you the best of luck, Augur, but history doesn't lie, and all the facts point to you." 

"So this is it, then." Augur did not like where this conversation had gone, but he saw no way to avoid conflict now. "I can assure you that I am not the annihilator of this planet, and I will kill you if that is the only way that I can prove that to you." 

"Then it is settled. If I am not mistaken, Augur, and what I speak is true, then the winner will determine the future of this world, and the loser will die today, writhing in his own cold blood!" Taking this latest exchange as a threat, Augur charged at Gunner. 

Gunner was more than ready for the first attack, and he quickly jumped sideways to evade the rapiers. After rolling on the ground, he fired a shot from his gun, which missed Augur over his right shoulder. The gunfire dug another hole into the wall. Augur charged up some magic, and then pointed at Gunner. A bolt of electricity shattered its way into Gunner's arm, and the wiring of the electronics in it caused a malfunction. His weapon became useless, and many of the other circuits on his body were frying. He responded by running at Augur and tackling him. Gunner punched Augur hard in the face with his metal hand, and the sickening cracking and shattering of the bones in the nose filled the room. He aimed to punch again, but Augur caught him with a burst of fire in his face, forcing him off. Augur wiped the densely flowing blood from his mouth, and then threw a sword at Gunner. 

When Gunner saw the sword, he reacted and caught it in mid air. He scurried forward and slashed at his opponent. Augur blocked the swing, and then jumped to the side and swung at Gunner's midsection. Gunner could not get the shortened sword over in time, but a block with his half-functional machine arm did just as well. Gunner's next attack hit Augur, but with the blunt side of the rapier. He fell to the ground, and then rolled backward and immediately sprung back up to his feet. Augur released a weak ice spike at his enemy. Gunner leapt out of the way, and the spike shattered into pieces when it hit the far dirt wall. Gunner did not see the next attack coming, as Augur used what little green magic he could muster to blast him with a wind spell. The current of air knocked Gunner off his feet, and he landed hard on his back. The area of ground where he came to a stop was rather hard and rocky, and the jagged edges scraped the hell out of his backside, where red gashes were now forming. Gunner stood up, only to be hit with the hilt of a half-sword on his head, again sending him backward onto the rocks. Augur then found the second rapier, which Gunner had dropped, and he recovered possession of it without hesitation. 

Gunner was on the offensive again as he picked up a rock and chucked it at Augur, who deflected it with his blades. Gunner then aimed carefully using his synthetic eye, which still worked, and shot a laser at Augur. The beam hit him square in the chest, and he fell to the soil rapidly. Augur felt like his heart was going to explode from the pain that filled him, and the sting traveled throughout his nervous system until every part of his body had suffered the tingle of the laser. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gunner press something on a strange round ball, and he threw it at Augur. He moved, but not far enough, and the ensuing fiery discharge blew Augur forward, all the way past Gunner. The detonation made the cave rumble, but no damage had been done to the structure of it. 

Augur knew that he was hurt pretty badly, but he wasn't dead yet, he wasn't even close. He laid still to make Gunner believe that he had succeeded in eliminating him, or at least rendered him temporarily immobile. A combination of the deep throbbing throughout his body and the rage that he was now feeling towards this man caused the surge of brutal energy to burn deeper into his soul. Gunner surely thought he had won the fight, and now stood over him in glorious victory, preparing to make a strike that would assure that Augur was dead. 

Gunner was naturally shocked to see the force spew from the wounded Augur. A blackish pillar engulfed the larger of the men, and literally attempted to rip his soul out of his body. The gloomy vivacity caused the room to darken immensely, as a strange vortex of sounds covered up the agonizing screams. The pillar soon died down, and reshaped itself in the figure of shady black flames. Every part of Gunner's body ached, but the assault was not over yet. While still being burnt by the darkness, jolts of electricity from various places around the room all collided into Gunner's body. The voltage caused him to convulse viciously, and what was remaining of his circuits were now destroyed. Small electrical fires were starting in his arm and areas of his legs and chest. 

As suddenly as the attack had begun, it was over. Gunner's body shuddered with a pain that he had never felt before, and the parts of his body that could move were moving involuntarily. How could this boy be so powerful? The ancient books that he had read made mention of magic in this faraway land, but he never truly believed in it. This kid had grown stronger ever since the battle had begun. A mere child of seventeen years had beaten him with a force that was only used in legends. Gunner was sure that the fight was over, and he had lost. 

Then Gunner saw visions of his homeland. He saw his family back home, before they had all died. He saw the beauty of the rivers and lakes stretching across the horizon. He saw the flag that he had served so selflessly for, and he remembered why he was here. Gunner knew that he had to exterminate this pest, or the earth would meet its demise. With the renewed purpose in him, he forced himself to his feet. 

The spell had also taken its effect on Augur. He was sure that this man would be dead, but he still moved. Augur wasted so much of his stamina on that last attack that he couldn't remove himself from the ground. He watched as Gunner carefully strode towards him, a glint of determination in his eyes. Gunner pulled out a long pocketknife, and was going to try to kill Augur in the most primitive of ways. Augur fumbled around and found the gift that his mother had once given to him. Holding the elixir in his hand, he opened the case and drank the soothing liquid. 

The elixir would replenish his strength temporarily, but would wear him down even more if the battle continued for too much longer. The effect was similar to caffeine, which could keep you awake for a few more minutes, but ultimately made you sleepier than you were before. Augur used his burst in strength to stabilize himself on one knee. Gunner swiped with the pocketknife at precisely the same moment, and Augur ducked under the slash. He found one of the rapiers on the ground near him, and swiftly stabbed at Gunner. 

The blade entered the leg halfway between the kneecap and the thigh, but on the outside of the appendage. It disconnected from the flesh as soon as Gunner winced. A large cut about an inch deep was created, and the blood oozed out of the crevice quickly. Rough, detached ends of tissue were sticking outward, and the tender pink skin was turning white from the rapid blood loss. Gunner collapsed on the leg, causing the blood to squirt several inches out of the abrasion onto the soil below. Augur then used a small wind spell to send Gunner to his back. 

Augur rose completely and moved until he loomed over Gunner. Looking in his one good eye, Augur could detect no emotion in Gunner. There was neither fear nor acceptance. Instead he remained somber as Augur raised the blade over his head, and prepared to plunge the deadly edge deep into the fallen man's chest. He looked at Gunner and proclaimed, "It's over for you, Gunner. You marched into this fight confident of victory, and I defeated you. You were a good fighter, and for that reason I am sorry that I must do this. Before I kill you, do you have any last words?" 

"Yeah, why don't you write me a letter, so you can tell me what Hell is like!" Gunner hacked upward with knife, and carved a deep ravine journeying from the lower region of the abdomen up through the stomach, continuing to the heart, and ending its trip at the top of the ribcage that he had cut between. Augur grew wide-eyed and tired, but he did not feel the pain from the blow. He tried to cast a healing spell on himself, but his powers failed him. His entire chest was now being smeared with blood, and the damaged heart managed to keep beating, which made the blood seep through the slit and form a warm pool of crimson on the dirt. Augur reached to his sternum, as if he thought he could stop the bleeding, and felt a small course rib protruding from the wound. Augur noticed that his vision blurred, but he managed to make out Gunner moving in slow motion, about to strike again. This cut ran from the side of his shoulder, up through the side of the neck, to the top of the left cheek on his face. Augur bled inward, and the warm liquid ran down his esophagus and trachea, ending up in his now exposed stomach and in the lungs. He started to choke on his own blood, and when he tried to cough, he vomited it in large quantities. Augur fell to his hands and knees, and a third knife slash created a gash all the way down his back, parallel to his spine. Whatever pieces of his clothes were still intact were a dark red by now, sopping with the thick liquid, but Augur still could not feel any pain. The last thing that he did feel was a cold prickling that covered his whole body, causing him to feel lightheaded and disconnected. Every cell in his body was separating itself from some unknown object, something that had always been a part of him, but had never been felt before. In his dying moments, Augur saw familiar images flash behind his eyes, experiencing a hallowed state of nirvana and serenity with the world around him. 

Seconds later, his newfound reverie shattered, ruining his glorious visions and leaving him encased by nothingness in the unfathomable vacuums of the unknown. 


End file.
